Authors snub new science standards

[damntexdem]

Most members of the committee that wrote Kansas' science standards asked Tuesday to have their names removed from revised standards that encourage criticism of evolution.

The committee endorsed a 14-page critique of everything the State Board of Education's conservative majority added in June and July.

The wording critical of evolution "parallels the language of the Intelligent Design Network and Discovery Institute," the committee wrote. "Critical analysis of evolutionary theory is a repeated theme of both organizations' Web sites and literature. This critical analysis has no basis in science or science education."



http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/12289542.htm

Creos taking Kansas back to the Middle Ages, once again.

[Felix Mala]

1. If we wish real hard, we can return to those 1300's values that

made western civilization so great.

[Mojambo]

3. I think we should encourage these ignorant "red" states to do this

Think about it. Those of us in the modern world blue states can take "history vacations" to the backwater, retro states to see what life was like back then.

It's a good idea.

[Felix Mala]

17. Makes a good PBS series... Plague House

We could watch people in Idaho picking herbs and flowers that combat the plague. We could see children in Utah receiving instruction on how bathing makes you more vulnerable to infection. Finally, your son could join up a militia to kill all of Satan's cats that are really at the heart of this nasty bit of God's wrath.

[Mojambo]

22. Yeah, see you're feeling it.

Let's do lunch and come up with a pitch.

[Mike Niendorff]

30. Be careful what you wish for.

Such people rarely have much regard for "peaceful coexistence".


MDN

[struggle4progress]

32. Yep. Thems oughta teach how gravity is just a theory what can be ..

.. overcomed by willpower, and that strong-willed folk can walk off cliffs without fallin ...

[wli]

5. like getting slaughtered by Mongols?

If Ogedei hadn't died while Subedei was invading Europe, he'd probably have overrun Europe.

[wli]

2. they're spewing this while students are monolingual and math illiterate

Truly the death of the educational system.

[Orrex]

4. And ignorant of US and world history, not to mention geography.

What a well-prepared graduating class we're assembling!

[rkc3]

18. Think of how well our kids will do against theirs.

[DamnYank]

40. But at least no child is being left behind!

:evilgrin:

[Tux]

7. Yeah but

Let them do this. See how long employers will want to stay in Kansas once they figure out that the kids are functionally illerate, can't use PCs, and can't solve problems without prayer.

[Soup Bean]

8. You've got it right.

No jobs for them, or anyone else who continues to put their palms over their ears while drowning out the facts.

What's to become of medical research? Political pandering to the religious right is destroying our country.

[geckosfeet]

10. Praying is not recognized as a viable problem solving technique. nt

[Tux]

14. Exactly

[DemBones DemBones]

31. The GOP doesn't care and they've got CEOs planning

to send all the decent jobs overseas; the jobs that require literacy, ability to use computers, skill at problem-solving.

Most Americans' role in the future is evidently supposed to be a) buying stuff made in other countries and b) working in service jobs,

[shraby]

6. Welcome to the dark ages!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

9. No Child Left Behind is really code for getting children "Rapture Ready"

You've got to know that the "left behind" language resonates in a special way with the Bush people who formulated that phrase to fit their legislation.

[geckosfeet]

11. keyword in that phrase being "left". nt

[Ian David]

12. Oog think world created by big man in sky

[Pystoff]

16. Ooog CRAZY!

OOG RIP OOG'S HEAD OFF ARRRRGGGHHH!!!

[Miss Chybil]

13. Thank goodness somebody is standing up to this. Viva la Committee! nt

[anotherdrew]

15. And don't forget: the sun may well revolve around the earth too

I wan't none of my tax dollars going to ANY school that pushs ID

[Felix Mala]

19. Well jeesh, you can stand outside and watch the sun doing this on any

clear day. Don't you have any common sense?

[soothsayer]

21. what do they mean "may"? Use your eyes, morans!

Plain as the nose on yer face.

[anotherdrew]

26. time to bring out: "The Christian Flat Earth Society" TV spots

Maybe we could finally put an end to that satanist Galileo's heresy

[NYC]

28. Thank god it's flat!

After a few drinks, trying to maintain my balance while standing on an oblate spheroid has been difficult.

[Nevernose]

27. Catholic sect offers $1,000 to anyone who can prove heliocentrism.

Fascinating, really. Usually we see this kind of crap for Protestant whackos:

CAI will write a check for $1,000 to the first person who can prove that the earth revolves around the sun. (If you lose, then we ask that you make a donation to the apostolate of CAI). Obviously, we at CAI don't think anyone CAN prove it, and thus we can offer such a generous reward. In fact, we may up the ante in the near future.

http://www.catholicintl.com/epologetics/articles/science/geochallenge.htm

[DemBones DemBones]

35. CAI is not exactly a Catholic sect,

just a few Catholic individuals with a website, as far as I can see.

Definition of sect (Merriam-Wesbster online):

1 a : a dissenting or schismatic religious body; especially : one regarded as extreme or heretical b : a religious denomination
2 archaic : SEX 1 <so is all her sect -- Shakespeare>
3 a : a group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or to a leader b : PARTY c : FACTION

Their web site says

"CAI is a Catholic lay apostolate dedicated to the teachings of Jesus Christ preserved by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church"

so they look upon themselves as loyal to the Catholic Church, defintely not "dissenting or schismatic."

They do NOT mention having Vatican approval or even the approval of their bishop for their lay apostolate. Many lay apostolates do have Vatican approval for their work. (And you can bet the Vatican would not approve of their fight against heliocentrism.) Just F. Y. I.

[Nevernose]

37. It wasn't an anti-Catholic post; that's why I used the word "sect"

I was going for a broader definition so as not to disparage the vast majority of Catholics not still mired in the Middle Ages. I think I was still technically accurate though, given your other definition of "a group adhering to a distinctive doctrine" -- a few individuals with a website qualifies as a "group," and their website is beginning to get attention in some circles, which gives them the effect of being larger than they really are. Also, in the 21st century, adherence to geocentrism is pretty darn distinctive.

Note that I wasn't being anti-Catholic or even anti-Christian in my sentiments, just anti-Whackos. They come in all breeds

It's been my experience that many here blame religion for too many ills, instead of the unfortunate mixture of ignorance and intolerance often associated with religious extremism.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. The nutjob attorney who is pushing ID on the state

got himself kicked out of the meeting yesterday. :woohoo:

[KansDem]

23. This doesn't bode well for Kansas high-school students.

Can you imagine a Kansas graduate applying for MIT or Stanford with a science background influenced by conservative fundies? Their application will be laughed out of the admissions office. The only college they'll be able to attend would be a Kansas university (one supposes) or Bob Jones University...

[politick]

24. But what if

they start using the tenets of Affirmative Action to get students trained in Intelligent Design into institutions of higher learning? It would make sense: creating a diverse environment, differing views and cultural experiences. Then things would really get interesting...

[Orion The Hunter]

25. Oh Kansas...

If I lived in that state, I would be leaving a trail of smoke because I would moving out of there so fast....

[depakid]

29. It must be really embarrassing to be an educator in Kansas

Imagine going to conferences and having to explain this to people all of the time... I couldn't do it.

[slackmaster]

33. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to have been born there

Even though it wasn't my fault, and my young parents got the hell out of Dodge as soon as my dad got out of medical school.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. It's getting hard to deal with all the anti-Kansas stuff

on DU.

At professional conferences, I plan to pass this out:

We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of us, and growing.
http://www.venganza.org/

[Endangered Specie]

36. If I were a teacher in Kansas I would be fired:

either because of a fit or rage or a rather healthy dose of dissent and resistance (not to mention outright ridicule) of the current curriculm and the writers of said.

[PATRICK]

38. And at the same

time, having removed whole segments of the population from respecting science and ruined the educational system and turned scientists into corporate tools who are forced often to be parties to dishonesty and crime-

they wonder why there is a shortage. In their dual negative mind they might be very happy to have competing, powerless smart foreigners laboring as science drudges for stagnant corporate dinosaurs and not empower our local masses with a decent education. On the other hand slaughtering the national brain might not be such a hot thing either. But make no mistake, whatever their intent or efforts the first effect is what the entire RW agenda results does in reality, no bully pulpit ads or sops to education to the contrary.

[redqueen]

39. GO KANSAS!

:eyes: